rulers

noun

plural of ruler
as in monarchs
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority the aging ruler agonized over the choice of an heir

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rulers If a man is thought-free, fancy-free, imagination-free, that which is not never for a long time appearing to be to him, unwise rulers or reformers cannot fatally interrupt him. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026 China's rulers did not find anything funny about Mbappe's interaction with the meme. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Wisely, these African rulers understood the ultimate goals of European soldier-surveyors – to map the road to colonial conquest. — Thomas J Bassett, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026 Two lasers replace hardware Optical frequency combs work much like rulers for light. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026 To varying degrees, respondents in these countries—Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudia Arabia, and Turkey—expressed an increasing preference for liberal values, even as their rulers sought to suppress popular demands for democratic change. — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 The second find consists of part of a statue of a royal personage along with its head, which was adorned with the striped cloth associated with ancient Egyptian rulers. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Shelter staff made Gelato a wheelchair crafted from Hot Wheels cars and wooden rulers. — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026 The 1970s marked a reinvigoration in quilting culture, with the introduction of specialty rulers and rotary cutters for use with modern patterns. — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rulers
  1. monarchs
  2. kings
  3. emperors
  4. sovereigns
Noun
  • Quiñonez-Piñón is the senior scientist at the National Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit that recently joined a tri-national science team to track monarchs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Founded in 1440, the prestigious institution is one of the most famous and selective schools in the United Kingdom, attended over the centuries by prime ministers, aristocrats, and future monarchs.
    — Ilaria Perrotta, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of monarchs
Noun
  • Ahead of their Hard Rock show, the two comedy kings did an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel — Short from Los Angeles, Martin from New York City — and here is more about the tour from that Q&A session.
    — Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Edmund is invoked on behalf of kings and victims of torture, during pandemics, and for protection against plague.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of kings
Noun
  • Included in the exhibition are four portraits of Roman emperors whose statues once stood at Boubon’s Sebasteion, a monumental display dedicated to the Roman imperial family, notes Tech Times.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • All the coins are Roman, minted during the second century for five emperors and four empresses.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of emperors
Noun
  • Only three African sovereigns hold investment grade ratings, according to a background note from the AU’s African Peer Review Mechanism (ARPM).
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Any harm was downstream, but the river was part of an interstate system governed by a compact between sovereigns.
    — Gale Norton, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of sovereigns

Browse Nearby Words

ruler
rulers
rulership
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Cite this Entry

“Rulers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rulers. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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